THE SHORT ANSWER
A private transfer from Gold Coast Airport to Brunswick Heads costs $189 per vehicle in an executive sedan, or $239 in a Mercedes V-Class or Vito-Tourer for up to seven passengers. Our booking system puts the trip at 53 km. Neighbouring Ocean Shores is also $189 in a sedan, and Mullumbimby is $199.
- Sedan
- $189
- Mercedes van
- $239
- Distance
- 53 km
Fares from Gold Coast Airport
Brunswick Heads, Ocean Shores and Mullumbimby are priced separately. If you're staying in one and dining or visiting in another, book to the address where you'll sleep.
| Trip | Distance | Sedan | V-Class | Vito-Tourer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Coast Airport → Brunswick Heads | 53 km | $189 | $239 | $239 |
| Gold Coast Airport → Ocean Shores | 46 km | $189 | $229 | $229 |
| Gold Coast Airport → Mullumbimby | 58 km | $199 | $249 | $249 |
For the trip back to the terminal, the form prices the fare from your Brunswick Heads address, your date and your pickup time, and shows it before you pay. Choose Return and both legs are booked and paid together. Mullumbimby has its own page: Gold Coast Airport to Mullumbimby transfer.
Meeting your driver at the airport
Gold Coast Airport's pick-up zones are at the front of the terminal along Terminal Drive. They're for immediate pick-ups only, you wait at the kerb, and vehicles may not park in front of the terminal (Gold Coast Airport). Your booking confirmation explains how and where you'll meet your driver.
The booking form asks for your flight number. Set the pickup to your scheduled landing time and use the notes for anything out of the ordinary. More fares from the same terminal: Gold Coast Airport transfers.
An hour's difference in summer
Brunswick Heads is in NSW and the airport is in Queensland. NSW observes daylight saving; Queensland doesn't. The 2026–27 season started on 4 October 2026 and finishes on 4 April 2027 (NSW Government), and in that window Brunswick Heads is an hour ahead of the airport.
So when you book the ride back for your flight, think in two clocks: your flight leaves on Queensland time, and your driver arrives on Brunswick Heads time. Enter the local NSW pickup time and add a note saying so. The NSW and Queensland summer time difference goes through examples.
Trips need a Queensland end
Every trip we run must start or finish in Queensland. Brunswick Heads to Gold Coast Airport, Surfers Paradise or Brisbane is fine. Brunswick Heads to Byron Bay, Ballina or Lennox Head isn't, because both ends would be in NSW. If you're flying into Ballina, you'll need local transport for that leg.
Picking a time for your flight home
We don't publish drive times. Here's how to set your pickup without one:
- Check your flight's departure and your airline's check-in or bag-drop deadline in Queensland time.
- Allow for the 53 km trip, plus a margin for traffic and roadworks.
- From October to early April, add one hour to turn that into a Brunswick Heads time.
- Enter it as your pickup. The form shows the earliest time on offer for your date.
For more on buffers, see when to leave for your flight. If you're choosing between airports for this part of the coast, Gold Coast Airport to Byron Bay: options compared is a useful starting point.
Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service manages Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve, which lies between Brunswick Heads and Ocean Shores. Visitors fish in the Brunswick River or off New Brighton Beach, and paddle, canoe or boat on the river. The service says endangered loggerhead turtles and vulnerable green turtles may be seen in the river, pied oystercatchers turn up in the rocky tidal areas, and migrating whales can be watched from the north wall in winter. The North Head walking track is an easy walk from the North Head car park through endangered littoral rainforest down to the river, and Harrys Hill Beach on the river's north bank has shady picnic spots. The reserve is always open but can close for poor weather or fire danger (NSW National Parks).
What's included
- A private vehicle for your party, terminal to door or door to terminal.
- One fixed fare per vehicle, shown before you pay by card online.
- Your flight number on the booking.
- Child seats added by type and quantity, and notes for your driver.
Child seats and luggage
Choose rear-facing, forward-facing or booster seats in the form; the total can't be more than the number of passengers. NSW and Queensland rules are explained in child seat rules in Queensland and NSW.
An Executive Sedan takes up to three passengers and two bags. A V-Class or Vito-Tourer takes up to seven passengers and five bags, which suits families, fishing trips with rod tubes, or friends arriving for the same event. See private transfer vehicles for the full comparison.
Elsewhere in Byron Shire
For Bangalow, Mullumbimby and other Byron Shire towns, start with Byron Shire transfers. Byron Bay itself is on Gold Coast Airport to Byron Bay transfer, and Pottsville, on the Tweed Coast, is on Gold Coast Airport to Pottsville transfer. Flying into Brisbane instead? Try private transfers Brisbane to Byron Bay.
Questions about this trip
How much is a transfer from Gold Coast Airport to Brunswick Heads?
$189 in an executive sedan or $239 in a Mercedes van, per vehicle, one way, from our booking system for a weekday 11am pickup checked on 1 November 2026.
How far is Brunswick Heads from Gold Coast Airport?
53 km by the route our booking system uses.
Is Brunswick Heads on NSW time?
Yes. During NSW daylight saving, from 4 October 2026 to 4 April 2027, it is one hour ahead of the airport.
Can you take us from Brunswick Heads to Byron Bay?
No. Both are in NSW, and our trips must start or finish in Queensland.
Can I book the return to the airport now?
Yes. Choose Return and enter your Brunswick Heads pickup date and time; both legs are priced and paid together.